My College Boy
by QueenMimi96
Summary: When the daughter of Darius Tanz, Marnie, meets college kid, Liam, she thinks he's just like all the other MIT students her dad has done presentations to. But little does anyone know, he'll be the one to steal the billion-dollar girl's heart.
1. Welcome!

This is a story for the CBS show, Salvation, but I will warn you all that it is a bit open-ended since I had discontinued it a while back. But regardless of that, I hope you enjoy the story!


	2. Chapter 1 - Dude with No Shoes

I was beyond bored. So bored in fact, that I had begun to count all the tiles on the ceiling. But maybe that's what you got when Darius Tanz was your father. I know, I know, surprising, right? The whole world was, to be honest. Darius Tanz, young tech billionaire, had a daughter?

When he first started making his billions, I was only a toddler and way too young to even remember. All my life, this had _been_ my life. I didn't know any different than this expensive, pampered livelihood. When my mom walked out on him - only a month after I was born - he was poor and had no idea how to raise a baby. But he never gave me up, never gave _up_ on me. He raised me the best way he knew how and we had a close relationship because of it.

To some, he was a teen-dad-turned-billionaire but to me, he was my hero. Just my dorky dad. I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair in the front row then, my leg threatening to fall asleep. My dad droned on when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy racing down the aisle before plonking himself into a seat. I arched an eyebrow, noticing his bare feet.

"Now I can see all these skeptical MIT faces looking back at me thinking 'Will he get me a job after graduation?' Maybe, maybe," my dad quipped, "Well, except for the guy that got here late. The one without the shoes."

I snorted, rolling my eyes as the brunette guy sank lower into his seat. An hour later, my dad finished and the next day seemed pretty normal - breakfast with the maid, write on my college paper online, lunch at 12:35, and back up to the apartment with dad and his business associates. That is, until a familiar brunette - this time with shoes _on_ \- slipped into the elevator with us. He seemed to be out of breath, possibly avoiding someone. He shifted his eyes around warily before speaking up.

"Sir, my name's Liam Cole. I'm a student at MIT. In a 186 days, an asteroid is gonna collide with Earth and we're all gonna die." he told is one big breath.

A few seconds later as the elevator slid open, dad's security guard had the poor guy shoved up against a wall with his arms twisted behind his back.

"My name is Liam Cole. I'm a student at MIT. My ID is in my wallet. It's-" the boy started to say when the security guard began to frisk him.

The guard found it quickly and confirmed it belonged to the boy.

"Let's shoot this guy," my dad sighed fakely and I stifled a laugh at the priceless expression on the boy's face as he began to protest.

"Whoa, easy! I got a flash drive in my pocket with all the data," he said, holding it up for everyone to see, "I've been running simulations, trying to solve the end-body problem how comets and asteroids interact with each other. Everybody at NASA is studying what we already know, I've been looking for the ones that we've missed. And I found one,"

My dad took the boy to his study and downloaded the data to his projector system hooked up to his computer.

"I got the visuals here if you wanna take a look," he offered, floppy brown hair falling over his eyes.

I paced across the room, arms crossed over my chest as dad's holographic projector flickered to life to the boy's amazement. Wow, he was impressed easily.

"Let's hear it then. We're listening, college boy," I spoke up and for the first time today, his hazel eyes met my dark orbs.

"Okay, yeah, well, uh, this is the solar system today and this is the asteroid. Let's call it Rocky. It's about 300 million miles out. Now my software, um, which I'm happy to sell to you, by the way-" he paused then, giving my dad a small smile and I stifled a laugh.

Boy was brave, I'd give him that. Most grad students wouldn't even TRY something like that with my dad - way too scared he'd have his security team drag them away screaming.

"-creates a trajectory for the asteroid to collide with Earth, like I said, in 186 days," he continued, "Given its location and orbital configuration, there is a 97.2 % possibility that this is a planet killer,"

Dad looked at him a moment before nodding, "Okay. Your sub-position hardly proves that you - all your data - are correct,"

"I showed my numbers to my adviser, Professor Croft. Five hours later, he disappeared. And didn't show up for class. His place was trashed,"

"Trashed?" dad asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"There were big, scary goons staking out his house. They chased me across campus. Now either this is an amazing coincidence or I'm onto something someone somewhere doesn't want public," he said in earnest, "I'm telling you, Mr. Tanz, the sky is falling and you may be the only person who can do something about it,"

Dad was silent a moment, mulling over what the boy had just said before ordering his assistant to start up the jet.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked him.

" _We're_ going. To Washington. Marnie stays here, though," he told us, giving me a pointed look.

I rolled my eyes, "Why? I always come!"

"Yes but you, sweetheart, have class today. Remember? Didn't your classes open up today?" he said, placing a kiss atop my dark hair to which I nodded, "You can meet up with us later tonight. I'll have my assistant fly you out,"

"Fine. But don't have fun without me!" I called after him as he and Liam exited the room.

"Never!" he called back over his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 2 - Cocktail Party with Dad

When dad called me later from Washington, him and Liam had already made plans for a party with his associates. I took his credit card and bought me a nice dress for the occasion. A couple of hours later, I was in Washington in a limo heading to the mansion the party was being held at. I adjusted my dress, the folds of it clinging to my legs slightly, as the car came to a stop and I was helped out by a footman. I spotted dad and Liam heading inside and fell in step beside them.

"Well, don't you clean up nice, college boy," I eyed him, smiling.

He turned to me, hazel eyes taking in my red dress and heels. He blushed scarlet at my compliment and nodded, at a loss for words to which I just laughed.

"So, uh, who are all these people?" he asked me, changing the subject./

"Congressmen, diplomats, Heads of State, Heads of Corporations," I told him, "So pretty much everyone who's anyone so that makes you anyone,"

"Oh, I'm honored," Liam bit out sarcastically to my dad then, "And this is all apart of your big plan, right?"

"I'm here to make certain connections and uh...you're here for the free food," he said, shrugging, "Enjoy,"

"Great. I'll go visit the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs," he scoffed.

"Try not to spill any wine or national secrets." dad winked as he faded into the crowd.

I rolled my brown eyes before glancing up at Liam, linking arms with him.

"Just stick with me. I'll make sure you don't get lost or tipsy," I grinned, lightening the mood.

He chuckled and let me pull him off to introduce him to everyone. After a few minutes, he excused himself to make a phone call. I stayed close by so he wouldn't get lost...okay, and to eavesdrop. After all, I still didn't know him very well. Plus, for a billionaire with million-dollar security, my dad was way too trusting. And I, on the other hand, had watched way too many spy movies to not have picked up a thing or two from them.

"Hi, Jillian, it's Liam. Uh...I'm sorry I disappeared. It's a _long_ story but, uh... I've been thinking about you a lot-" he stated to say when voicemail cut him off.

"Disappeared on a girl?" a feminine voice interrupted him, "What does one make of that?"

"Uh...one makes nothing of it unless one is eavesdropping," he said in a clipped tone.

She faked a laugh but I saw right through it from my hiding spot on the other side of the wall, "Well, that's what makes these parties go 'round. So who are you?"/

"Me? I'm just a nobody," he shrugged.

"That's a lot of tuxedo for a nobody," she flirted.

"Alright, you got me. I'm Darius' new Head Security,"

"More dangerous with weapons or just your bare hands?"

"You don't wanna test it, trust me," he shook his head and she giggled.

I rolled my eyes, suddenly making my appearance known as I stepped out from behind the wall. Both eyes turned to me and Liam was about to say something when she cut him off.

"I'm Amanda," she held out her hand and he shook it.

"Liam. What brings you here, Amanda?" he asked.

"Oh, I just snagged an invite from a friend," she admitted.

I scoffed, stepping onto the stairs beside Liam, albeit a little protectively.

"Now _that's_ not really true. Is it, Amanda?" I challenged, arching an eyebrow.

She pursed her lips angrily just as Liam's phone went off. We'd known each other since childhood but never really grew out of our rivalry. She always had wanted what I had. Not that Liam was mine but still, he was my dad's ward for the time being and therefore, _mine_ not hers.

"Uh, our ride's here." Liam told me and I nodded.

I began to pull him away but not before Amanda the she-beast handed him her phone number. Yeah, like he'd call _her._ When we got back to the house, dad explained everything to Grace - his business partner - and Liam. How he could save over a hundred people with his Ark idea. I thought it was very The 100-ish but didn't spoil dad's fun. After all, he thought he'd been the one to invent it, might as well let him think what he believed. But Grace wouldn't have it and Liam either.

"Look, man, I, uh, I wanna help you but there's this girl up in Boston and if this is really the end, I guess, I, uh, I wanna live before I die," he admitted.

Dad started to call for his assistant to get the plane ready when Liam cut him off.

"I'll take the train, thanks," he told him before turning to me, "And thanks for showing me around, Marnie."

I nodded, faking a smile even though I was upset he was leaving, "No problem. It was fun."

He smiled at me before leaving. I let out a sigh, watching his back as he faded from view. Darius walked over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. He'll be back." he told me and I nodded in response, not quite believing him.

And after a few days, I'd certainly begun to believe he wouldn't. I was sitting in a corner reading Percy Jackson whilst dad was sketching when Grace burst in.

"You're right, Darius. The government's plan won't work. They need you. You said the technology doesn't exist yet. If you're so smart, invent it. You've got the resources, the talent, the money - don't save 160 people, save them all. Every last one. Come work with us. Let's do this together. I will do whatever it takes, I'll roll through red tape, whatever you need from me. But my daughter deserves a future," she told him, barely pausing to take a breath as her eyes briefly flitted to me, "And so does yours. They all do. And I'm not ready for all of this to end-"

"Grace," my dad interrupted her, "You had me at 'You're right'."

She smiled just as the elevator doors slid open. I turned my head to be met with familiar hazel eyes.

"Hi," Liam greeted us as he walked in, suitcases in hand, "Where can I put my stuff?"

I grinned and he smiled back.

"Told ya." my dad whispered to me, winking as he bumped my shoulder lightly with his.

I rolled my eyes playfully. College boy was back.


	4. Chapter 3 - Back to Boston

I shoved a spoonful of Lucky Charms into my mouth as Despacito blared out from the stereo. Fresh morning sunlight streamed in through the glass-paned windows above the sink, lighting up my dark hair. The floorboards squeaked then in the doorway and I glanced up to see a half-awake Liam stumble in. I smiled over at him and he returned it, running a hand through his bed-hair. Beautiful, I thought to myself as he sat himself down on stool across from me at the counter. Turning the volume down with the remote, I turned to face him.

He shook some cereal into a bowl before pouring some soy milk in.

"Ooh, soy milk. You live dangerously, don't you, college boy?" I smirked and he chuckled, shaking his head.

Hazel eyes met mine briefly before he shoved in a mouthful of cereal. He hummed slightly at the taste and I almost laughed out loud at his antics. Suddenly, dad walked in - already dressed to the nines in a pristine suit like always. He glanced over at Liam and I - still dressed in our PJ's and frowned.

"Time for work, you two. You should already be dressed by now," he reprimanded us./

I groaned, "Work?"

"Yes, I believe it's what pays for that brand new sound system over there," he smirked, "Oh, and if I'm not mistaken, those front-row Justin Bieber tickets-"

"-Say no more, I'm going now," I cut him off, slurping up the last bit of milk before tossing the bowl in the sink.

Darius turned to Liam and the boy gave him a half-smile.

"You too, kid." he told him.

Liam let out a sigh before mimicking my actions and following after me. After getting dressed, we all headed to dad's work. I played on my phone during his meeting but I could feel eyes on me. Or at least I _thought_ I did. But when I looked up, no one was watching me. And Liam had his head down, staring at the floor as if he'd suddenly found something interesting there.

I just shrugged as the meeting adjourned and everyone filed out. I pushed off from the wall I was leaning on and followed dad out the door, Liam strolling beside me.

"The whole world's gonna be reduced to a ball of ash in 6 months but no, let's all play by the rules," Darius seethed as he strode down the tunnel-like corridor.

"Oh, stop," Grace tried to admonish him but he steamrolled on.

"Yeah, when I agreed to work with the Pentagon, I thought it'd be a two-way street," he continued.

"We just got you a billion dollars-" she started.

"-We all need to do whatever it takes to get me what I need," dad cut her off angrily.

"Well, fine!" she snapped, "What else do you need?"

Darius was silent a moment before turning to face her.

"100 kilos of uranium," he whispered.

She scoffed and said sarcastically, "Just make it a thousand, while you're asking,"

Dad was silent again and Grace just stared at him in shock./

"You're insane,"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"'Cause it's kinda true," Liam piped up and I snickered.

Liam's eyes met mine and I shrugged, "Well, it _is_ true. And I'd know, I've lived with the man for 19 years."

He grinned down at me and I could feel a slight blush creep up my neck. Grace left after that in a huff and Liam and I followed after dad.

"So in order to save the world we need a billion dollars we don't have, uranium we can't get and technology that doesn't even exist yet? So far, so good," Liam breathed out.

"If Superman caught the villain on page 2, what fun would that be?" dad quipped, smirking.

I rolled my eyes as he handed a blue keycard to Liam.

"This opens up any door at Tanz. Well, almost any door," he told him.

"Okay, so about our three problems-" Liam started.

"I need Malcom Croft's help on it," Darius cut him off./

"Well, my buddy, Diego, might could help. I could call him and see what he knows,"

"Oh, you'll do more than that. You two are going to Boston."

A couple of hours later, Liam and I broke into Professor Croft's house and were almost on the verge of finding out more about his disappearance. Suddenly, his phone went off. He glanced down at it and hazel eyes widened.

"What?" I asked him.

Wordlessly, he grabbed my hand and ran out the back door of the house, pulling me along behind him. I didn't know why we were running and I didn't even care that my 800 dollar pair of golden Gucci high heels were getting muddy in the process. All I could feel was the sensation of his hand in mine, callused slightly but still soft. We ran like that several minutes before slowing down at an alley. Liam glanced down at his phone again, re-reading the message. I placed my hands on his shoulder to get a look at it, leaning up on my tip-toes because of the height difference. The boy was a bean-pole.

"'Get out now' from Unknown"

I frowned. Well, that was ominous. Liam was about to reply to it when another message came through. This time from that girl of his - _Jillian_.

"First reading of my novel today. Wish U could be here to heckle me."

I rolled my eyes. I already didn't like that girl.

"Um..." Liam started, turning his head slightly, the sun lighting up his profile perfectly.

Part of me - the reasonable part - wanted to distance myself from him since our faces were inches away from each other. That was polite, right? But I couldn't bring myself to. From where I was, I could see every mole on his chin, smell his musky aftershave, feel his lean back beneath my fingertips. All of it was intoxicating. But even through the dulling of my senses, I understood the unasked question and nodded.

He smiled slightly, grabbing my hand again as he led me across town to an old bookstore called "Acadia Book Store". When we reached it, he stopped his. His eyes landing on someone. My stomach dropped and I glanced that way. Standing in the bookshop window was a plain, brunette girl, clothes baggy and hanging off her like a coat-rack. My eyes went up to Liam to see he was entranced by the sight of her.

But what, pray tell, could be that remarkable about her? He ripped his gaze away and began typing out a message on his phone. From in the window, I saw the girl smile down at her phone before glancing around. A knot formed in my stomach and I turned away. Liam was so oblivious, he didn't notice me leave to head back to the hotel. And why would he?

He had her. I was just his boss's daughter.


	5. Chapter 4 - Jillian's Return

My heels clicked on the linoleum floor of the Tanz Industries building as I followed dad to the computer area.

"Good morning, gentlemen," dad greeted them, "You two look terrible,"

Professor Croft murmured something incoherent in response and Liam shot me a tired half-smile when he saw me standing behind dad. There were dark circles underneath his brown eyes and I frowned. Poor Liam.

"When was the last time you slept?" I asked concernedly, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, Monday...maybe. Well, depends what day it is," he said before calling to the computer, "Tess?"

"Today is Friday, Liam," she intoned.

"Oh, that's bad," he said seriously and I laughed out loud.

Liam grinned and shook his head at me.

"You shouldn't mock people, Miss Tanz," he quipped and I rolled my eyes playfully.

While Darius discussed rockets with them, I sat down in one of the swivel chairs. My eyes slid to Liam and I bit my lip, butterflies swarming in my stomach as he ran a hand through his already disheveled brunette hair.

"Think I'm gonna make myself an Espresso...or three," Liam said suddenly, hopping up from his seat to head towards the cafeteria.

"I'll come with you." I volunteered, smiling.

I followed after him, the two of us joking and laughing like usual when we were interrupted by a female voice. A nasally, whiny one that was all-too familiar to me.

"Liam! Fancy meeting you here," Amanda called after us, "It's Liam, right?"

"Yeah, good memory," he said, smiling politely as he went to the coffee machine.

"Amanda, look what the cat dragged in," I shot her a fake smile.

She looked at me contemptuously, "Hello, _Marnie_ ,"

"You here for the tour, Amanda?" Liam asked her, changing the subject.

"Yes and I came to see you," she smiled and I frowned.

Where was she heading with this?

"Really?" he arched an eyebrow.

"I was hoping you could help out a fellow millennial," she shrugged, handing him a business card.

"You're a reporter?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I should've told you at the Embassy but I didn't want to ruin the moment,"

"We were having a moment?" he asked, unbelieving.

I snorted, muttering a snarky 'ouch' under my breath and Amanda shot me a dirty look to which I just shrugged.

"Anyway, I wanna do a piece on Darius Tanz. Something splashy to earn my keep at Capitol Eyes. You think you could cruise the wheels for me?" she asked him hopefully.

Lazlo, dad's bodyguard I'd known since I was a toddler, came over then to escort Amanda off since she had no clearance in the area. As she walked off angrily, I sent him a smile.

"Thanks. She was annoying me," I told him and he nodded.

"Of course, Miss Tanz," he said before turning to Liam, "Liam, you have a visitor in the lobby."

Liam turned to me as they walked off but before he could speak I stopped him.

"Go. I'll cover for you with dad." I told him and he smiled, pecking my cheek briefly as he breezed by.

"Thanks, M!" he called over his shoulder, leaving me to touch the place on my cheek where his lips had been.

"No problem, Liam." I breathed out quietly, feeling warm all over from that one simple act.

Glancing over at the counter, I noticed he'd left his Espresso. I grabbed it and headed to the lobby to give it to him. I had just turned the corner when I heard him call out.

"Jillian?"

"Liam!"

I glanced up to see him embrace the girl from the Boston bookstore. I frowned sadly, feeling a heaviness in my heart.

"What are you-what are you doing here?" he asked her.

"So, some guy named Lazlo just showed up at the bookstore the other day. He said that Darius Tanz wanted to meet me. I'm getting a tour and he's taking me to lunch." she beamed at Liam and I felt my blood begin to boil.

Well, I was going to have to have a talk with daddy dearest about this.


	6. Chapter 5 - For the Best

"Dad!" I shouted as I stepped into the penthouse.

He turned around his chair smiling. But that smile dropped when he saw my face./

"I didn't do it!" he protested, pointing his pencil at me.

"Yes, you did! You invited that-that-that _she-devil_ to come work for you!" I yelled at him, slamming my purse onto a chair.

"Ah, that... Well, yes, now I suppose I did do that," he relented, shrugging.

"How could you?! You know..." I started before trailing off, my voice becoming small, "You know how I feel about him, dad,"

He sighed, putting his pencil down on the desk and walking over to me. He placed his hands gently on my shoulders, forcing me to meet his brown-eyed gaze, so much like my own.

"I know, mija. I do. But I also know that she is his girlfriend. This will only end in heartbreak and I don't want that for you," he told me truthfully, his eyes pitying.

I let out a long sigh, nodding, "Yeah, I know that... But...how can I get over him? Especially when he's here 24/7?"

Darius frowned slightly, "Bringing her here will help. I know...I know that it sounds bad but he won't be around quite as often with her. You two will spend less time together. Taking a few days off from coming to work with me will also be a start."

The frown that had formed on my face deepened but I knew he was right. I had to let Liam go. I couldn't keep chasing a boy who didn't care for me. It wasn't fair to do that to myself. The next few days, I avoided him. I didn't go to see him, didn't go to the lab.

It wasn't until Croft called me up, saying him and Liam needed my help on the project that I finally returned.

"Hey, where have you been?" Liam asked me when I arrived, hands in his jeans pockets.

I shrugged, chunking my purse into a chair. The gold hoop earrings I wore dangled back and forth as I sat down in a chair beside Croft.

"I've been busy. Come on, less chatting, more work." I told him seriously.

The three of us worked tirelessly through the night. I didn't even know I'd fallen asleep until I was being shaken awake by Liam. My head was resting on his shoulder. Blushing, I sat up and he grinned down at me excitedly.

"She found a match, Tess found a match!" he told me, beaming.

"No way! Seriously?!" I smiled happily.

Liam ran to the other computer across the room then and Croft and I followed after him, smiling. He pulled up the rocket screen and it displayed the frequency match.

"Professor, we have thrust. We have thrust! We have thrust," he proclaimed in shock and excitement.

Liam hugged me and I hugged him back tighter as the Professor began jumping up and down, clapping joyfully.

"We have thrust!" I shouted happily.

"We've got thrust." Liam agreed, grinning in relief as he held me.

My eyes met his then and I could feel his warm breath mingling with mine.

"I missed you...those days you were gone," he admitted softly and I nodded.

"Missed you, too, Liam." I confessed despite the agreement I'd had with dad.

He leaned in close to me and my heartbeat sped up considerably. His chocolate brown eyes fluttered closed and mine did the same as our lips became mere inches apart.

"I knew you guys would figure it out," Darius said suddenly, making us spring apart./

I swallowed nervously, not daring to look up. But apparently, dad didn't notice the moment we'd just shared because he delved into the work. As we worked on building the rocket, I couldn't help but feel Liam's eyes on me. And I knew this was just the beginning of something _very_ complicated.


End file.
